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ELECTRONIC CONFIGURATION AND QUANTUM NUMBER

UDAYAPPAN.V
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 ELECTRONIC CONFIGURATION
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 ELECTRONIC CONFIGURATION
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 ELECTRONIC CONFIGURATION
1) The quantum numbers are nothing but the details that are required to
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locate an electron in an atom.

2) Orbital's are designated by a set of numbers in order to specify energy,

size, shape and orientation of the electron orbital, three quantum numbers
are explained the configuration.
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 ELECTRONIC CONFIGURATION
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SPLITTING THE SHELLS INTO SUBSHELLS

The energy level diagram below shows sublevels to as high as the energy level of the 5f
orbitals. Sublevels actually continue to higher energies than this, but 5f is a suitable place
to leave an introductory description.
 ELECTRONIC CONFIGURATION
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 ELECTRONIC CONFIGURATION
Naming the Subshells/Sublevels
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1)Electron sublevels are known by the letters s, p, d, and f.

EXAMPLE : Electrons in the s sublevel of shell 3 have a different amount of
energy from electrons in the p and d levels of shell 3. (This is not the case for
hydrogen. All of hydrogen's sublevels have the same energy, because hydrogen
only has one electron.)
2)S, P, D, and F sublevels
3)The sublevel occupied by any electron is determined by the electron's
angular momentum quantum
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s, p, d, and f sublevels
The sublevel occupied by any electron is determined by the electron's angular momentum
quantum number, l.
Angular Momentum Quantum Number and Sublevel Type

ANGULAR MOMENTUM SUBLEVEL NUMBER OF ELECTRONS SUBLEVEL CAN

QUANTUM NUMBER, L ACCOMMODATE
0 s 2

1 p 6

2 d 10

3 f 14
 QUANTUM NUMBERS
1.THE PRINCIPAL QUANTUM NUMBER (n)
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- The electron inside an atom are arranged in different energy levels called
electron shells or orbits. Each shell is characterized by a quantum number
called principle quantum number.
This is represented by the letter “n”
 n = 1,2,3,4.
 First shell – K - 1
 Second – L - 2
 Third - M -3
 Fourth - N - 4
 QUANTUM NUMBERS
2.THE SUSIDIARY OR AZIMUTHAL QUANTUM NUMBER ( l ) :
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According to Sommer Field , the electron in any particular energy level could
have circular path or a variety of elliptical path about the nucleus resulting in
slight differences in orbital shapes with slightly differing energies due to the
differences in the attraction exerted by the nucleus on the electron.
The idea of the existence of sub energy levels of the atom.
This represented as letter “l”. And have values from 0 to n-1
n= 1, l=0 only one value (one level only) S - level.
n= 2, l=0 and 1( two sublevels) S and P level.
n= 3 , l=0, 1 and 2( three sublevel) S, P and d level.
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n=4, l=0, 1,2 and 3 (4 sublevel) S,P,D and F level.

3.MAGNETIC QUANTUM NUMBER (m)
 In a strong magnetic field a subshell is resolved into different orientation in
space. These orientation called orbitals have slight difference in energy.
This explains the appearance of additional lines in atomic spectra produced
when atoms emit light in magnetic field.
It is represented as “m” and its values depends on the value of “l”.
The values are “-l” through zero to “+l” and (2l+l ) values.
 QUANTUM NUMBERS
When l=0,m=0( only one value or one orbital)
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l=1, m=-1, 0,+1 (3 orbitals)

l=2, m=-2,-1,0,+1,+2 ( 5 orbitals)

l=3,m=-3,-2,-1,0,+1,+2,+3 ( 7 orbitals).
 QUANTUM NUMBERS
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4.SPIN QUANTUM NUMBER ( S ) :

 The electron in the atom rotates not only around the nucleus but also
around its own axis and two opposite directions of rotation are
possible(clockwise and anti clock wise).

They have only two values +l/2 or -l/2.

 QUESTION AREA
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IMPORTANCE OF QUANTUM NUMBERS:

1. n - identifies the shell, determines the size of the orbital and also to a large extent
the energy of the orbital.
2. l – identifies the subshell and determines the shape of the orbital.
3. m -designates the orientation of the orbital
- For a given value of l,m has (2l+1) values, the same as the number of orbital per
subshell.
- It means that the number of orbitals is equal to the number of ways in which they
are oriented.
S - refers to orientation of the spin of the electron
 SHAPE OR BOUNDARY SURFACE OF ORBITALS
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1) S-Orbital - Symmetrically spherical shape

2)P - orbitals has two lobes, which are separated by a point of zero probability
called node.

 P - orbital is a Dumb bell shape.

 SHAPE OR BOUNDARY SURFACE OF
ORBITALS
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3)D - ORBITALS l=2, m=0, -1,+1,-2,+2. indicating that d- orbitals have five
orientations.
Which are named as dxy, dyz,dxz,dz2 and dx2- y2.
D-Orbital - Clover Model

all these 5 orbitals, in the absence of magnetic field, are equivalent in energy
and to be five fold degenerate.
4) F- ORBITAL- 7 Orientation and Complex Shape
 ELECTRONS IN SUB-SHELL
Maximum number of electrons in s,p,d,f etc. subshell is equal to 2(2 l + 1)
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 S - 2
 P - 6
 D - 10
 F - 14
- Electrons respectively.
 AUFBAU PRINCIPLE
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Aufbau means (German word)- building up.

The building up of orbital means the filling up of orbitals with electrons.
“ in the ground state of the atoms, the orbitals are filled in order of their
increasing energies”.
In other words, electrons first occupy the lowest energy orbitals available to
them and enter into the higher energy orbitals only when after the lower
energy orbitals are filled.

1s,2s,2p,3s,3p,4s,3d,4p,5s,4d,5p,6s,4f,5d,6p,7s
 PAULI’S EXCLUSION PRINCIPLE
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The distribution of quantum numbers among the electrons in a given atom

is governed by Pauli’s exclusion principle.

“it is impossible for two electrons in a given atom to have all the four
quantum numbers identical”.

In an atom, two electrons can have maximum two quantum numbers. (n,l
and m) the same and the fourth (s) will definitely having a different value.
S= +1/2 for one electron, s should be equal to
 PAULI’S EXCLUSION PRINCIPLE
 -1/2 for the other electron. In other words the two electrons in the same
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orbital should have spins ( ).

USES :
 The greatest use of the principle is that it is helpful in determining the
maximum number of electrons that a main energy level can have
K shell there is only one subshell corresponding to l=0 value(S - subshell)
contains only two electrons with opposite spins.
 L- Two subshell – 8 electrons. ( S, P )
M-Three subshell- 18 electrons(S,P,D)
N- Four subshell- 32 electrons (S,P,D,F)
 HUND’S RULE OF MAXIMUM MULTIPLICITY
Hund’s rule of maximum multiplicity state that in filling p,d,or f orbitals, as
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many unpaired electrons as possible are placed before pairing of electrons

with opposite spin is allowed.
“no pairing occurs until all orbitals of a given sub-level are half filled”.
It states that, when electrons enter a sub-level of fixed (n+1) values,
available orbitals are singly occupied.
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HUND’S RULE OF MAXIMUM MULTIPLICITY
Atomic Element 1s 2s 2px 2py 2pz Number of
number unpaired
electrons
1 H 1

2 He 0

3 Li 1

4 Be 0

5 B 1

6 C 2
 HUND’S RULE OF MAXIMUM MULTIPLICITY
1)If three electrons are to be filled in the p- level of any shell, one each will
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go into each of the three (px, py, pz) orbitals. The fourth electron entering
the p – level will go to px orbital which now will have two electrons with
opposite spins. And said to be paired.

2)The unpaired electrons play an important part in the formation of bonds.

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